Its primary responsibilities, according to the terms of reference, are as follows:
- developing and promoting the implementation of multisectorial risk prevention and management strategies, e.g. programmes and model approaches in the field of public health protection from falsified medical products and similar crimes;
- facilitating networking and co-operation within member states through activities promoting recognised networking models (e.g. the model for a network of SPOCs prepared by the former Ad hoc Group on counterfeit medicines);
- providing public health authorities with strategies for risk communication on falsified medical products and related crimes;
- maintaining and developing further a specific multisectorial expertise with a view to adapting programmes and procedures to the rapidly changing patterns of crime involving healthcare products;
- promoting a favourable environment for the implementation of regional and international specific legal instruments in this field at the national and international level;
- developing support tools for information exchange on management, prevention and follow-up of the risks posed by such crimes.
The composition and project approach of the Committee is multisectorial, bringing together healthcare and law enforcement officials from Council of Europe Member States, European institutions, pharmaceutical industries and trade, and international organisations.
The EDQM SPOC list is constantly updated and aligned with other networks of partner organisations in Europe and at global level such as the health authorities’ Focal Points at World Health Organization (WHO) level and the health and law enforcement SPOC list used by the Working Group of Enforcement Officers under the EU Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA WGEO).
The EDQM Know-X database collates reports on falsified medical products in the Council of Europe member states and provides a tool for information exchange between experts from different countries and authorities. The database has been updated and a new version is available since July 2018